Hostage (Bodyguard #1)(17)
Colonel Black gestured towards Charley.
‘As Alpha team’s operations leader – and the most experienced buddyguard among you – Charley will help you predict and prevent any threats against your Principal,’ he explained. ‘But it will be down to you alone to protect them. And over the coming weeks you’ll learn the necessary skills to do just that – unarmed combat, anti-surveillance, body-cover drills and anti-ambush exercises, to name but a few.’ He directed his attention at Connor. ‘Alpha team have already completed the introductory lessons, so you’ve a lot of catching up to do. But your martial arts experience should help.’
Draining his coffee mug, the colonel switched off the projector and gathered his papers together.
‘I’ll see everyone after break for our next session.’
Alpha team rose in respect as the colonel departed the briefing room.
Connor shut down his laptop with relief. ‘Phew … there’s a lot to take in,’ he remarked.
‘You’ve barely scratched the surface,’ replied Marc. ‘Your brain will be fried by the end of the month.’
‘That’s if he’s got a brain!’ cracked Jason.
‘Leave him alone,’ said Ling. ‘Just because yours still needs to evolve!’
Jason made a grab for her. Ling sidestepped him and danced down the corridor. As the others headed towards Alpha team’s common room, Connor hung back. Walking over to Charley, he bent down to pick up her bag.
‘I can do that,’ she said, neatly flipping it on to the back of her wheelchair.
‘Sorry, of course you can,’ replied Connor, feeling awkward at his presumption. He followed her into the corridor.
‘Something on your mind?’ she asked.
Not knowing how to broach the subject directly, Connor said, ‘What made you decide to become a buddyguard?’
Charley laughed. ‘Colonel Black.’
Connor gave her a puzzled look.
‘You’ve experienced his recruitment methods,’ she explained. ‘He’s not a man who expects no for an answer.’
‘But you still had a choice.’
Charley nodded. ‘And I jumped at the chance.’
‘But why?’
Charley sighed. ‘A friend of mine was kidnapped. She was never seen again. I’ve always thought that if I’d known how to protect her, I could have saved her.’
‘But what do your parents think about you doing this?’
‘They died in a plane crash three years ago.’
Connor felt his heart go out to her. ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’
‘It’s all right,’ she replied, her voice flat and unemotional. ‘I’ve kinda come to terms with it now.’
But Connor recognized the brave face she put on as the same one he used when someone asked about his dad. She couldn’t conceal the deeper grain of sadness in her eyes.
They passed through the entrance hall in silence. As they neared the bay window, a shaft of sunlight glinted off the badge on Charley’s top. In an attempt to change the topic, Connor asked, ‘Tell me, why’s your shield gold?’
Charley glanced down at the badge. ‘These are awarded for outstanding bravery in the line of duty.’
Intrigued, Connor asked, ‘What did you do?’
Charley rolled to a stop by the window and looked out at the mountains in the distance.
‘As buddyguards, we hope for the best, but plan for the worst,’ she said softly. ‘Sometimes, the worst happens.’
She chewed her lower lip pensively and went silent on him.
Wishing he’d kept his mouth shut, Connor decided not to push the subject any further. Charley seemed to appreciate this. She forced a smile and her face brightened. ‘But don’t worry, Connor. As ops leader, I’ll make certain that never happens to you.’
Descending the darkened staircase to the basement level, Hazim walked along a short corridor, lit only by a bare bulb, and looked inside an empty windowless white-walled cell. In the room opposite, Bahir glanced up from a circuit board that he was soldering.
‘Malik’s asked me to check on progress of the holding cell,’ explained Hazim. ‘He wants to know if it’ll be one hundred per cent secure?’
‘When I’m finished,’ Bahir stated, the glowing tip of the soldering iron reflecting in his metal-rimmed glasses, ‘a spider won’t be able to get in or out!’
He pointed to the narrow door Hazim had just peered through. ‘That’s the only access and it has a reinforced lock.’
‘What about electronic communications?’
Bahir indicated a mobile phone on his desk. ‘See for yourself, no signal whatsoever.’
Hazim glanced at the display – the aerial icon flashed searching.
‘I’ve installed a wide range of electronic jammers,’ Bahir quietly boasted, indicating his spaghetti junction of wires and boxes on the table. ‘All operating on different bandwidths. Each jammer has a back-up in case of failure. The system will block against every cellular network – even the newer phones which hop between different frequencies.’
Hazim nodded, as if understanding the complex array of technical equipment before him. ‘What about bugs and transmitters?’